Power-transmission and direction-changing device.



W. S. LEWIS.

POWER TRANSMISSION AND DIRECTION OHANGING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED OG'1.15,1908.

934,821, Patented Sept. 21, 1909 WITNESSES INVENTOR Nil/6&6 Walfer ZQEW/S A. ORN EY l)irection-Changing Devices, of which ing lugs-whereby motion may UNlTED STATES PAEN OFFQE.

'WALTER' S. LEWIS, 'OF SAN-FRANCISCO,*CALIFORNIA, A8

GNIFFO'UR'IH '10 FRANK W. -W. T. BERRILL AND CALIFORNIA.

SIGNBRt OF ONE-FOURTH T0 BAHA'Y E, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

v EOWER-TKANSMISSION! AND DIRECTIGN-CHANGING- DEVICE.

Specification of fitters Patent. Patented Sept, 2131mm,

rllpplication' fl-led'fletoher 15, 1908. Serial No. 457,872.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that L'WALTER S. LEWIS, citizen of the'United States, residingin the city and county of San Francisco and State of Galifornia,-have invented new and-useful improvements in Power-Transinission and the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a means for trims mitt-mgpower and changing the direction thereof. 4

It consists of-a fixed shaft curved or otherwise supported togive the required direction or change of travel and a series of means for making such changes.

and curved to produce the 'eter that they will As shown in my present device, A is a shaft which may be made of steel or.suitablc metal turned or otherwise formed to provide a surface suitable to receive the disks and to allow them to turn freely thereon. This shaft may be made in a single piece desired change of direction, or it may be made up of a series of sections, the ends of which are beveled or converged, so that the successive series when united will provide for the desired change ofdirection.

Upon the shaft a series of disks 2 are mounted, these disks being annular in form with the inner circumference of such diamturn freely upon. the shaft. Each of the disks is provided with lugs 3 near the periphery and projecting outwardly or toward the adjacent disks.

Between contiguous disks are collars 4 which are fixed to the shaft A by screws 21 or other suitable means. Between the end Fig-'1. desired change determined, the collars at are made wedgecollarand the adjacent portion is aplain collar 22, as shown in The curvature of the shaft for the shaped, so that than the inner portion, are such that planes through end of the enlarged of direction having been the outer portion is thicker and the proportions the disks will.

intersect upon the axis about which the curvature of the shaft made.

The inclined faces (if-the collars thus hold the disks in -the cr-irrespondingrelation to each other and -to the-shaft, so that they are allsubstantiall from the common center.

fie l-ugs --upon the. disks are so disposed thatr theyeproject siifiiciently beyond the collars,-so that they will curvature of the fa certain extent as they pass ingthe inner separate to around the ,oete separation depending on the difference m. thickness between the inner lars and their outer edges. seen that if-the by-ineans of the interlocking lugs, each disk interlock while pas shaft, and will r curvature of the shaft, the

edges of the col- It will be thus disks at one end-are driven will drive the successive one, and thus all the disks will be driven.

.ln order to transmit motion to these disks, the power shaft- 6 may have ajonrnaled nearing.- asshown by a collar 15, and so that chambered at 7,'hel d an enlarged portion 8 is the chambered end wil slip over the end of the shaft A. The opposite end of shaft A may in like manner have connection with a shaft 9 similarly connected. The

ends of the chambered portions of the shaft are provided with lugs 10 which engage which engage with the disk; on the urved with the lugs of the con- Thus, when power is apne of the shafts 6, the power itted through the lugs 10 lugs of the first of the stationary shaft, and

power will be transmitted through all the disks around the curve and finally through the lugs 10 upon the enlarged portion of the transmitting'shaft which connects with that end; and thus the power wherever desire exter or shafts tion, I employ may be delivered (1. In order to allow these to' turn freely witlmut fricany suitable ball or equivalent bearing 1) where the ends of the stationary shaft A abut against the bottom of the chambers of the contiguous abutting transmitting shafts.

The latter are thus allowed to revolve freely without danger of heating, while the curved shaft 'A remains stationary;

It will bev seen that by this construction any desired-amount of curvature :or change of direction may be efiected, and power may be transmitted through this change to oper- I ate in a totally different plane of travel from that at which it is delivered to the change device.

The shaft A may have its central portion supported upon. any suitable anti-frictional device upon which the disks bear as they revolve, such a device being either in the I form of a roller, 20,- Fig. 2, or a suitable,

changing the direction thereof, said device shaft between the disks, said collars being consisting of a fixed shaft curved to the de sired change of direction, disks freely turnableupon said shaft, collars fixed upon the 'wedge-shaped with their sides converging from the outer to the inner edges, whereby the disks are maintained substantially radial to the center of curvature, and lugs carried by the disks adapted to engage each other exterior" to the collars.

2. In an apparatus for transmitting power and changing direction, a fixed curved shaft, annular. disks fitting and turnable thereon,

wedge-shaped collars fixed to the shaft be tween the disksflugs projecting from the disksand engaging with each other exterior to the collars, transmitting shafts having their ends journaledcontiguous to the ends of the fixed curved shaft, said transmitting shafts having chambered enlargements fitting over the ends of the curved shaft, and lugs adapted toengage the lugs of the contiguous disks of the change device.

3. In an ap aratus of the character. described, a fixe "shaft having a curvature to provide the desired change of direction, an-

nular disks turnable upon the shaft, interposed wedge-shaped collars of smaller diameter, whereby the disks are held in planes substantially radial to the arc of'curvature,

lugs projecting, from the sides of the disks adapted to engage eachother, straight revoluble shafts in line with the ends of the curved shaft, said straight shafts having journal bearings and chambered ends into which the ends of the curved shaft extend, lugs upon the ends of the straight shafts which engage with the lugs of the contiguous the ends of the revoluble and the stationary shafts.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a curved stationary shaft having revoluble interlocking disks and wedgeshaped separating collars, straight shafts I journaled in-line with the ends of the sta: tlonary shaft having interposed anti-frietional devices and lugs adapted to enga e with the lugs of the revoluble disks, and. evices whereby the curved portions of the apparatus are supported.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, ,WIiL'IER b. LEWIS. Witnesses: I

Geo. H. S'rnonc, GHAnLns EDELMAN.

65 disks, and anti-frictional bearings between 

